Cui Bono? A Review of the Efficacy of Online Instruction

  Cui Bono?(1) A Review of the Literature Pertaining to the Efficacy of
  Online Instruction.
  Presented by Mark Morton, LT3 Instructional Program Manager.
  
  Thursday, August 4, 2005, 3-4pm
  Location: NH 3001
  
  Thomas L. Russell's 1999 book, No Significant Difference, aimed to
  demonstrate that "There is nothing inherent in technology that elicits
  improvements in learning" (p. xiii).
  
  Russell reached this verdict after reviewing several hundred studies,
  all of which found that integrating technology into the delivery of a
  course resulted in "no significant difference" with regard to learning
  outcomes as compared with traditional face-to-face courses. As Russell
  put it, "No matter how it is produced, how it is delivered, whether or
  not it is interactive, low-tech or high-tech, students learn equally
  well" (p. xiv).
  
  The implication for university instructors was clear: Why bother
  integrating new technologies, including online components, into courses
  if the effort to do so results in no educational benefit?
  
  Assuming that Russell's verdict was valid in 1999 (and it may not have
  been: some of the studies he included in his evidence were from the
  1920s), does it still hold true in 2005? What does research that has
  appeared in the last six years suggest about the efficacy of using new
  technologies in the delivery of university courses? Can technologies
  such as online course environments (UW-ACE), learning objects, blogs,
  podcasts, wikis, and so on improve learning outcomes, retention rates,
  and student satisfaction? The one-second answer is yes. For the
  one-hour answer, please attend the session, or contact the presenter
  directly at markmorton@LT3.uwaterloo.ca.
  
  Please RSVP at: http://lt3.uwaterloo.ca/events.html
  
  (*) cui bono?: For whose advantage?  (A maxim of Cassius, quoted by Cicero).
  Generally used, however, as, What is the good of it?
  http://www.sacklunch.net/Latin/C/cuibono.html